'12 Camaro ZL1 Vs. '13 Shelby Mustang GT500 - Flame War

The brand-loyalty wars are more bloodthirsty than ever, fought to the death on the Internet by Ford Shelby GT500 stalwarts, Chevy Camaro ZL1 diehards, and Mopar guys who remain delusional that the Challenger offers power that's in the same league. Some Bowtie and Blue Oval guys are still deluded about the skill sets of their chosen heroes, too, but the blood on the battlefield has long since dried, and the truce looks like this: The 580hp Camaro ZL1 has suspension technology that lets it outrun the 662hp Shelby GT500 on any road with a kink in it, but given a straight line, the Ford is gonna vanish from the Chevy. Quickly. At the dragstrip, a ZL1 typically runs 11.90s to 12.20s to the GT500's 11.70s to 11.90s. The Camaro's top speed is around 185 mph. Ford claims the Shelby ran 202 mph at the Nardo Ring in Italy, though mid-190s is the best anyone has seen here in the States.

The clean-hands press has proven those results repeatedly, and there's nothing HOT ROD can say to refute 'em (we tried hard but failed to find a place to run top speed with them on short notice). However, we're still among the 17 guys on the fence as to which is the better car to own for a daily driver and for just plain fun. We were finally able to swindle test cars for a two-day romp, so we decided to have a deeper look and choose sides. The players here are HOT ROD's David Freiburger and Mike Finnegan, who--not surprisingly--didn't always see things the same way.

Freiburger: Both of these cars are stuffed with computer controls for traction and stability, but the Camaro is more loaded and more effective. It has Magnetic Ride, a system wherein the viscosity of the fluid in the shocks can change dynamically in milliseconds to control the jounce and rebound. Used in conjunction with computerized stability and traction controls that modulate engine power and brakes for torque and yaw management and lateral acceleration, GM offers five modes of control--as well as the ability to shut it all off. In Mode 5, there's also dragstrip launch control that adjusts itself according to how much power it estimates the engine is making based on ambient conditions. Another win for the Camaro: It's specifically programmed for bangshifting, and that works brilliantly.

3/10<STRONG>02</STRONG> The Shelby GT500's 5.8L (355ci), DOHC engine runs the larger 2.3L Eaton blower with a max boost of 14 psi to deliver 662 hp at 6,500 rpm and 631 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm. It can run to 7,000 rpm for brief periods.

The Mustang also has drag launch control, and it seems more racer friendly, as it has two modes, both of which allow the driver to pick the rpm at launch. In one mode, active traction control helps the car hook up. The other setting is simply like the two-step rev limiters that drag racers have used for years. The Shelby also has handling controls: two settings for the Bilstein shocks and three modes of feel for the electronic power steering.

Punchline: the ZL1 works way better. It rides softer in street mode and is easier to drive fast around corners than the GT500. Its drag launch program is more effective. When traction control intervenes, it's more seamless than Ford's. The only area I preferred the Shelby was in low-speed cornering action, where the Mustang lets you get tail happy just enough for super fun before the traction control reels you in. On the dragstrip, I battled the launch control all day long, then on my final pass, I shut it off and cut the best 60-foot time of the day by launching manually.

4/10<STRONG>03</STRONG> Regarding the Camaro interior, Freiburger complains there's no good seating position where the gauges can be seen through the steering wheel. Finnegan likes the heads-up display instead.

Edge: ZL1

Finnegan: The Mustang's manually adjustable rpm setting of the launch control program gives you too many options to screw up. Changing the rpm limit from 3,600 rpm to 4,500 rpm in 100-rpm increments each time I made a pass only resulted in finding 10 different ways to leave the line with excessive wheelspin or the engine bogging. Turn off all the electronic wizardry, and you can feather the clutch to a quicker holeshot.

On the other hand, the Camaro's holeshot program is dullard-proof. Just put the trans in First, mash the gas, and the computer takes over. You only have to smoothly release the clutch for the car to hook up and go. The computer decides how much to modulate the rear brakes and engine's power output based on the weather and track conditions. In every run we made, the Camaro left harder and quicker than the Mustang, and then the Shelby walked right past it by the time we hit Third gear.

5/10<STRONG>04</STRONG> Our GT500 had the optional Recaro race seats. See the Shelby badge on the center console? It's too easy to bump your elbow on it and have the door pop open. Our biggest complaint here was the shifter.

Edge: ZL1

Just Plain Fun

Finnegan: I know how quick these cars are on paper, and I know how fast they've gone in real-world testing. I don't care about either. My butt tells me the 'Stang punches harder from a 30-, 40-, or 50-mph roll, but the Camaro's launch control program makes it leave harder from a stop. The Shelby pulls for days, but you'll lift long before it runs out of steam in Fifth gear. At 160 mph, the Camaro still feels fairly glued to the road.

The ZL1 seems louder at idle and at wide-open throttle, but the Shelby barks better when the pedal is on the carpet. However, the ZL1 has that cool race-car burble when slowing down with the trans in gear. When I wasn't trying to see how fast the Camaro would go before I ran out of real estate, I pretty much kept the trans in Second or Third gear just so I could listen to the exhaust note whenever I decelerated. Overall, the Shelby packs more punch, but I prefer to drive the ZL1.

6/10<STRONG>05</STRONG> Beating on them in stupid ways, we still got 13 mpg from the GT500 and 16 with the ZL1.

Edge: ZL1

Freiburger: The new Shelby GT500 uses Goodyear Supercar G:2 rear skins in 285/35ZR20, which are $772 a pair at TireRack.com. The Camaro ZL1 runs the same tire in 305/35ZR20 at $842 for two. This is relevant to your purchase decision, since you will be buying rear tires in bulk no matter which car you drive. We balded 'em in two days. It's just that the GT500 vaporizes them so much more enthusiastically.

For fun factor, I can't overlook the Shelby's 80 extra horsepower, which feels more like 200. The 5.8L, with its 2.3L blower and peak 14 psi of boost, is the most powerful passenger-car V8 ever, and you won't forget it. The car is a flat-out riot. Its tall 3.31 axle gears make it cruise 80 mph at 1,500 rpm, at which point you can downshift to Second, stand on it, and leave your giblets a mile behind before you know what happened. Turn off the traction control, and you can haze the tires at virtually any speed. This can also take you directly to the scene of the accident if you're not skilled.

Biggest fail: The stock Mustang shifter is utterly worthless for powershifting, grinding Second and Third more often than not. Both the ZL1 and the GT500 use a Tremec 6060 six-speed (with slightly different ratios, most notably a 0.63:1 versus 0.5:1 Sixth), but you'd never know it at the wheel. I spoke to my pal KJ Jones at 5.0 Mustang magazine, who confirmed that the stock stick is doo-doo and advised that Barton Industries (BartonIndustries.com) makes the slickest solution.

Edge: GT500

Comfort Zone

Finnegan: The Recaro buckets in the Shelby are perfect for the road course--which is why I hated them during our daylong road trip. The bolsters are too tight for commuting and everyday driving. The ZL1 lacks these protrusions, so it had an easier ride, apart from the 5 percent of the time we spent ripping around corners. I was left wishing the sides of the buckets were inflatable so I could have the support when I wanted it and get my gangster lean on the rest of the time.

Like a few of my ex-girlfriends, the smoky-voiced woman who is supposed to seamlessly connect me to Ford's SYNC audio system was a totally worthless copilot. I couldn't get her to execute the most basic of commands like “Play Anthrax.” Thankfully, both cars allow streaming music via Bluetooth.

If there's one place the Shelby shines it's in the dissemination of information. The gauge cluster will tell you everything from the engine's air-inlet temperature to your quarter-mile e.t. and g-forces in the corners. The steering wheel–mounted controls are sized for a 12-year-old's fingers, though. The ZL1 doesn't offer nearly as much vehicle performance information, but I dig the suede leather–covered shifter, flat-bottomed steering wheel, and painted door-panel accents. It also doesn't have the overly plastic feeling of a Shelby.

7/10

Edge: ZL1

Freiburger: I'm in total disagreement with Finnie on this one. I strongly prefer the Mustang interior because I can see both the gauges and the outside surroundings--both of which are luxuries compromised by the Camaro--and I liked the dash and the Recaros. The Ford SYNC deal is annoying, but the tunes are much better.

The Mustang seems louder at cruise, but I used three different dB meters on my iPhone to gauge sound cruising at 75 mph, and both cars were the same (even if the apps are not strictly accurate, they seem repeatable in casual A-B testing). Also, the GT500 sounds so much more wicked, except at idle.

The Mustang will hold two Big Gulps, the Camaro won't, though neither of 'em are handy for gulping and driving. Interesting note: A Simpson Bandit helmet will only barely fit through the window opening of the Camaro; a driver wearing one can't get out of the car by climbing through the window.

Edge: GT500

Styling

Freiburger: This is totally subjective, but I can't help but prefer the Camaro. It's got more character and less war paint. If I were buying a Shelby, I'd order stripe delete and also lose the deck spoiler. I'm not sure how I'd deal with the new-for-'13 catfish nose. I do prefer the Mustang's dark gray wheels over the Camaro's flat-black ones.

Edge: ZL1

Finnegan: Both cars are faithful interpretations of what first-gen Mustangs and Camaros should look like today, and make no mistake, they are great-looking muscle cars. The problem is that I'm getting bored with the new-car-fashioned-like-an-old-car vibe. The effect isn't as dramatic as it was when The Big Three first began pummeling our senses with retro flavor. So seeing a new Fastback Mustang isn't a big deal to me now, and the roofline and taillights are the only things I really like about the GT500. Same goes for the Camaro. Great-looking car, but because it's not stirring anything in my soul, and because I'm broke, I'm not rushing to my local dealer to buy one. However, I will give the edge to the Camaro, because this is one of the few applications where 20s look perfect, and the Mustang wishes it gets dubs when it grows up. The Camaro also looks like it's going 185 mph even when parked. I'll overlook the fact that I can't get out through the window with a helmet on--that's why God invented doors and OnStar.

8/10

Edge: ZL1

Modifiability

Freiburger: The GT500 is the best-ever argument for leaving a new car bone stock. On second thought, nah. Our crystal ball doesn't have to work overtime to tell us that aftermarket support for the Shelby will be deeper than it will be for the ZL1, thanks to decades of Mustang dominance in the drag-racing scene. Only the courageous will venture inside that 5.8L, four-cam can-o'-worms of a powerplant, but long-tube headers and blower upgrades will be commonplace. The Mustang suspension will be super-easy to work on, and that blessedly common 8.8-inch rear axle is also an aftermarket dream. I want to jerk the factory 3.31 gears and try some 4.56s; they'd up the cruise rpm at 80 mph from 1,500 to 2,200. Who cares? Besides, more wheelspin would be required. But if I bought a '13 Shelby, it wouldn't even leave the dealership before we installed a shifter that knows the way to Second gear.

As for the Camaro, its engine is far easier to work on than the Mustang's, and there are more parts available for it. That's a good thing, because it's going to need at least a couple hundred more horsepower. Lingenfelter and Redline Motorsports quickly proved that the ZL1 can run 10s with bolt-ons. The suspension, however, is a conundrum. On one hand, I'm pretty sure the aftermarket isn't going to be able to improve the Magnetic Ride setup. On the other hand, it remains to be seen if the ZL1's IRS--which is beefier than the base SS setup--will be able to handle all the power that the aftermarket will eventually throw at it.

9/10

Edge: GT500

Finnegan: The GT500 only needs two mods: a shifter that shifts into Second gear and a smaller blower pulley that's encased in glass and locked safely in the glovebox, only to be broken out in case of an emergency (like racing a modded ZL1). Yeah, it might not be as sure-footed around the corners as the ZL1, but tires and track time could fix that. Besides, what are the odds any of us will ever find the limits of the stock suspension? It's got enough brake and computer to save us from ourselves anyway. The 5.8 is complicated but doesn't need much work since the GT500 has a leg up on the ZL1 already.

Now, the ZL1 needs two hundred more horsepower as soon as it leaves the dealer lot. A bigger blower, more cam, and some exhaust work will make the ZL1 smoke just about everything on the road--if the IRS doesn't grenade. Lucky for us, these are all items already available, so we can test the might of those halfshafts without delay. I wouldn't touch the suspension, though. It's smarter and reacts faster than the Six Million Dollar Man, so leave it alone and just let the computer make you look like a hero behind the wheel.

Edge: GT500

Conclusions

The red car wins. It's amazing that Ford and Chevy are making cars this fast and competent, especially in this litigious era. The Camaro is a better blend of a cruiser and a driver, and the Mustang is just more outrageous all the way around. If we won the lotto, Finnegan would buy the ZL1, and Freiburger would own a GT500. HOT ROD

Is the GT500 "Stock"?

One of the comments we've seen relentlessly from Chevy fans is along the lines of, "ZL1 to GT500 is not apples to apples because the GT500 is not stock, it's hopped up by Shelby." Nice try, no cigar. The GT500 is a regular production car just like a ZL1.

Months ago, before the GT500 was even a reality, HOT ROD announced its ZL1/GT500 Faceoff event, to be held May 4–5 2013 at Memphis Raceway. Details are still in the works, but the plan is to have open runs for late-model Camaros and Mustangs, with a specific shootout of the top GT500 and ZL1 tuners. Stick with HOTROD.com and HOT ROD magazine for details.

10/10

See the Action Video

We toted a video crew with us as we blasted to and from Arizona's Speed World dragstrip (RaceSpeedWorld.com) in the GT500 and ZL1. Spoiler alert: It was 113 degrees that day (with air-inlet temps sometimes hitting 160 degrees) so we scored embarrassing times in the mid-12s with both cars, but there's still plenty of action. Go to YouTube.com/MotorTrend and search "HOT ROD Unlimited episode 14" to see it.

Is the GT500 "Stock?"

One of the comments we've seen relentlessly from Chevy fans is along the lines of, "ZL1 to GT500 is not apples to apples because the GT500 is not stock, it's hopped up by Shelby." Nice try, no cigar. The GT500 is a regular production car just like a ZL1.